What If
by Demon Flame
Summary: A series of unrelated one-shots on what would have happened if one thing had changed.
1. Chapter 1

_What if Thatch had fought back?_

Thatch glared at the purple devil fruit with its ridiculous swirls as it sat on the table in front of him. There was no guarantee that the fruit in front of him would offer him a power worth losing the ability to swim. Hell, with his luck it would give him the ability to turn his body into different flavors of ice cream. While the crew would undoubtedly enjoy the odd ability to no end, it would afford him no leverage in battle.

He pushed the fruit further away from him. Thatch didn't need some weird other-worldly ability, he was powerful enough as is. He was the Fourth Division Commander after all and he got there all by himself with out some freaky power.

Besides, who was he to deny the rest of the crew him in a speedo? Marco and Juzo may claim he looked ridiculous but the ladies loved it!

Maybe he'd see if anyone else wanted the fruit and if not he'd stick it in a chest full of rocks and sink it on the off-chance it had the power of the cosmos. Standing up he turned around just in time to see Teach. His first reaction was to smile at the large, hygienically challenged man. But then he saw the dagger clutched tight in his raised meaty fist.

Teach seemed frozen with his eyes wide in surprise. Then those eyes that had never seemed so beady before darted to the devil fruit behind him on the table. Did Teach, his long time crew mate, plan on murdering him for a bite of demonic fruit?

The larger man lunged at Thatch, all signs of hesitation gone. But there was a reason Teach had just attempted a sneak attack, Thatch was faster and stronger. Before the traitor knew which was up, Thatch had unsheathed his sword and cut off his left arm which held the dagger.

The roar of pain and frustration the man emitted was sure to rouse others and alert them to the situation. Teach fell back on to the floor clutching the nub that was still spewing blood. The monster that lived in all men reared its ugly head and whispered for him to finish the bastard off here and now. He deserved no less for attempting to stab him in the back.

With a cold glare he moved closer and snatched up the two guns on Teach's belt before the other man could use them against him or any other crew member.

"This was all over the fruit?" He asked as he reigned in his rage.

Teach turned his eyes from the severed arm to the fruit and then finally to him. "I've been waiting for the dark dark fruit for years. It's the whole reason I joined Whitebeard."

This admission only strengthened Thatch's resolve to sink the accursed fruit to the bottom of the ocean. "I would have given it to you, brother." He spat the last word out.

The door that led out on to the deck opened with a slam though Thatch could hardly make out the sound from the blood rushing in his ears.

"What the hell is going on here?" The distinct voice of Izo shouted as he stormed into the room.

Thatch didn't spear the Sixteenth Division Commander a glance, keeping his eyes solely on Teach in case he had any more underhanded tricks up his sleeve.

"We have a traitor in our midst." He all but growled.

The man on the ground began to take on a look like that of a cornered animal. Teach had always been a simple man who was rather dim-witted. They had all thought him to lack any sort of ambition when he put his support behind Ace as Second Division Commander.

He heard the thundering feet of his brothers and sisters as they rushed to the scene. This tiny room would become a mad house if someone didn't stop them. Thankfully Izo was on the same page as Thatch heard him move back to the door but didn't step out.

"Hey, one of you bastards wake Pops and another go get a nurse!" He shouted before coming back in the room followed by the footsteps of several others.

"What happened to Teach?" The booming voice of Kingdew asked as he ducked into the room.

"Teach turned traitor." Izo snapped followed by the tell-tale click of one of his flintlock pistols.

Thatch glanced over his shoulder to see that his favorite cross dresser had his gun aimed on the bleeding man on the floor. Thatch finally lowered his sword and moved further back in the room, throwing a dark glare at the fruit that had started this whole mess.

Marco came in next followed by Ace, both remaining calm as he recounted what had happened between him and Teach. Marco merely frowned at Teach who was still bleeding out on the floor like a dog while Ace looked uncertain. He had only been a Division Commander for about a month now and as Teach was one of his underlings he was his responsibility.

Marco seemed to sense this and took control of the situation. "Let's stop the bleeding first and then Take him to Pops, I'm sure Jozu has him up by now."

Ace took off his too long belt and moved forward to cut off the blood flowing out of the open wound while Teach remained silent, glaring at them all.

Thatch just thanked his lucky stars that he had turned around when he had. He couldn't even imagine the damage that this incident could have caused had Teach gotten away with it.

A/N

First One Piece Fanfiction so I would love some feed back on what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

_What if The Straw Hat Crew had been introduced to Ace in a different way?_

Luffy cast his fishing line out into the ocean once more in the hopes of snagging a bigger fish then last time for Sanji to cook up. Sometimes Sanji could be so stingy with the food that Luffy, Usopp and Chopper would have to go fishing in hopes of more meat to eat.

It had been a boring day by Grand Line standards. There had been no sea monsters or freaky weather or even another pirate ship all day. In fact, Luffy was so bored hat he was hoping for an attack from the Marines, just to liven the ship up a bit.

"Oh crap!" The voice of Nami drifted down from the upper deck.

Luffy's first reaction was to look to the sky for some kind of storm rolling in. But it was still as clear as it had been all day. He rotated his head to look at the back of his panicking navigator. "What is it?"

"There's another pirate ship over there." Her answer didn't quiet explain the tremors in her voice.

"So what?" Zoro said from his slouched position against the opposite railing.

"It's the Whitebeard's!" This had Zoro straightening up and turning around to get a look at the ship behind him.

Beside him, Usopp was trembling and snivelling. Luffy ignored this common behavior and jumped off the railing and ran up the stairs to stand beside Nami. The ship was a good distance off so he couldn't really make out anyone on deck. The only clear thing he could see was that the ship was shaped like a big whale which was pretty damn cool.

"Luffy get the sails ready, we don't want them to see us." Nami shouted out.

"What? Why?" He asked and snatched the spyglass from Nami's belt before she ran off.

Whitebeard. He could have sworn he had heard that name before. Maybe from Shanks or one of Grandpa's old war stories. He focused the spyglass on the ship and looked around. There had to be at least a hundred pirates on that ship. Some of them were huge! And he was pretty sure he spotted one man dressed like a geisha.

"Whitebeard is one of the Four Emperors. Pirates who reign over the New World, the latter half of the Grand Line." Robin said as she came to stand next to him, a book in her hand. "A confrontation with them now would not be in our favor."

Whitebeard. Four Emperor. Pirate. Grand Line. Blah blah blah. He moved the spyglass and caught sight of a man with funny blonde hair that made his head look like a pineapple. Beside him, was a man with big hair and another in a familiar orange hat.

Where had he seen that hat before? The man's back was turned to him and it had a large tattoo of a jolly roger with a mustache that he didn't recognize. Other than the tattoo, the guy seemed really familiar. The man turned giving Luffy a good view of his face.

"Luffy, we need your help to get out of here before they see us!" Nami shouted up at him but he wasn't listening.

He griped the rails of the Going Merry and back tracked to the other side of the deck. Taking a deep breath he shouted the name of the man before sling shotting himself toward the other ship.

"ACE!"

XxX

Ace smiled as he leaning against the railing of the deck. It was a good day. This morning he had opened the paper to see that his brother's bounty had gone up to one hundred million berries after some incident in Alabasta. Maybe if he was lucky he'd get to see Luffy soon as they were actually pretty close to the desert country.

"You aren't going to get more copies of this one and post it all over the deck like last time?" Thatch asked with a smirk.

Alright, so he might have gone a little over bored last time. But it had been three years since he had seen his bumbling kid brother.

"Nah, not this time." He said and turned to return the smirk to the older man.

Marco snorted and leaned over the railing as Ace launched into another story. This one about how Luffy used to sneak into the fields and eat watermelons and then spit the seeds out like a gatling gun. "Then the farmers would chase him while he ran around screaming like a girl!"

Both Marco and Thatch chuckled at the story. Most of the crew enjoyed hearing the tales of Luffy and all the trouble he got into. In fact, most of them would probably recognize him on sight.

"Hey, Ace," Marco said, his gaze fixed out on the ocean before him. "You said your brother ate the gum gum fruit right?"

Flashes of Luffy stretching his limbs impossible distances danced through his mind. "Yeah."

It was at that time that a hand gripped the railing beside Ace's elbow. "ACE!" He'd know that voice anywhere which could only mean...

He spun around just in time to have a flying rubber man slam into him and send them both flying across the deck, knocking men flying in ever direction until the both slammed against Jozu in his diamond form.

Ace glared up at his idiotic brother who was sitting crossed legged next to him and laughing his head off. He hadn't changed one bit.

"So this is Luffy?" Thatch asked as he and Marco walked over to them.

A/N

So this story take place under the assumption that Teach didn't kill Thatch.


	3. Chapter 3

_What if Dragon had shown up at Marineford?_

Well the cat was out of the bag now. By tomorrow morning everyone the world over would know that Luffy was his son, grandson of the Marine Hero Garp and adopted brother of Gol D. Roger's only son. That Sengoku was as clever as ever. Even if Ace and Luffy managed to escape, every enemy that he, Garp and Roger had ever had would be gunning for their heads.

Dragon's eyes narrowed in on his father who sat stone faced next to Portgas D. Ace. He understood Garp was a Marine and as such he had responsibilities such as not interfering in the execution of a pirate. But that pirate shackled to the execution platform was his grandson, adopted though he may be. Would he have sat idly by were it his own flesh and blood in the place of Fire Fist Ace?

Unfortunately for the Marines Dragon did not have the same restrictions as his father and he would interfere if someone threatened either of his sons because Ace was his son too if only by extension. The boy who protected Luffy when neither he or Garp were there, the one who raised him. He owed that boy more than he would ever know for guiding Luffy into the man he was today and will be in the future.

Dragon almost revealed himself when Sengoku gave the order to execute Ace while The Marines were attempting to restrain Luffy. But then, in desperation, Luffy had revealed to all the world his Conqueror's Haki as hundreds around the battle field dropped, friend and foe alike. Perhaps it was time for him to train in how to use the art.

Luffy didn't seem to notice any of the men around him dropping like flies as he wrenched himself free from their slacken grip. It seemed everyone who hadn't fallen to the haki had frozen in shock over his ability to use it. Though really it shouldn't be much of a surprise as both Dragon and Garp possessed the same ability.

He watched on as Luffy ran up a hastily made path to where Ace waited for him only to be blocked when Garp jumped in the way. Luffy begged his grandfather to move out-of-the-way but Garp wouldn't budge. A similar scene had happened between himself and Garp nearly twenty-five years ago. If Luffy was really going to be a pirate than he needed to face Garp as a Vice-Admiral and not as his grandfather. This was a war and there were no place for family relations when you stood on opposite sides of the battlefield.

Sengoku, that sick bastard, just watched on. Forcing his friend's hand to face down his own grandson.

Only those who really knew Garp could have spotted it. The moment when he paused, unable to strike his grandson down. Luffy must have spotted it too, or he just couldn't hit the man who held so many good memories of his like he would an enemy. Either way, their fight was over with no clear lines defined. Dragon almost missed the small, satisfied smile that played on his fathers lips as he fell to the ground.

There was no telling if he was happy over Luffy's ever building strength, his conviction to save his brother or maybe the old man had even planned it, putting on a show for Sengoku. It had always been hard to pin point that man's state of ind at any given moment.

Dragon pushed the thoughts of his father from his mind and returned his concentration to his son as he finally made it to the platform. Luffy ignored Sengoku's presence completely which was both stupid and amusing as it only seemed to increase the rage the irate Fleet Admiral had.

Luffy rushed around behind his imprisoned brother and quickly pulled out the key that Boa Hancock had slipped him. He loved his son, but sometimes he was just too much like Garp for his liking. Just like Hancock and Luffy, the previous Empress of Amazon Lily had been in love with Garp and neither one cared. The woman renowned across the globe as the most beautiful was hopelessly in love with his son and the boy was completely clueless.

Both boys paid no attention as Sengoku used his devil fruit, causing the platform to buckle under his weight. Ace finally seemed to take notice while Luffy was busy messing with he key which was then destroyed by that insufferable Admiral in the outrageous yellow suit.

Dragon was almost forced to show himself a second time as Sengoku declared that he would execute Luffy and Ace as brothers. But as fate would have it, luck was on their side. One of the executioners just happened to be an escaped prisoner in disguise with the unusual ability of forming wax.

Luffy quickly ordered the man to creat a wax wall to protect Ace while he ballooned his stomach to impossible sizes to absorb the impact of the Buddha's devastating punch. The plan didn't work out as well as anyone would have hoped as the platform gave way under the force.

Luffy shrunk back down to the size of a small child as he, Ace and the escaped prisoner from Imple Down fell to the ground below. The prisoner, being the only one who could do anything at the time quickly formed a key out of wax to unlocked the sea stone shackles that bound Ace. The man threw the key to Luffy just as the Marines below unleashed hundereds of cannons at the three.

A massive explosion rocked the island but not from the cannons. It was soon clear that Fire Fist Ace was free and ready to join the war. A war cry of 'ACE' rose up and filled the pirates with new fighting strength. The cheers were deafening as half cried out in a victory not yet set and the other half cried out their surprise and thanks to Luffy the Rookie.

To Dragon's utter embarrassment he caught sight of Ivankov openly weeping. Wasn't it enough that he ran around dressed like that, the man was the Second in Command of the Revolutionary Army. He'd bring it up to him later, after this whole ordeal was over.

The unstoppable teamwork of the two brother's rallied the pirates on as they cut through the Marine forces with more vigor than before. Honestly, if the World Government thought Luffy was a handful now than they were in for a world of pain and frustration here in a couple of years.

It appeared that those two would make it out of this mess in one piece, which was the only reason Dragon had showed up in the first place. The second he had seen the newspaper declaring the capture of Portgas D. Ace and his execution date he had known. Dragon had known that Sengoku was planning to start a war over this in hopes of eliminating Whitbeard and as many of his allies as he could in one shot. He had known that his son, Luffy, would weather hell to save his brother. He had known that Sengoku knew this as well and would use the chance to kill Luffy too.

Though Luffy was old enough to take care of himself now, he couldn't in good conscience leave his son to the upholders of 'justice'. He came not only to protect his son if need be, but to also bear witness. This was the war that would usher in a new era no matter who won or who died. As the leader of the revolution he had to be here.

As Whitebeard ordered everyone to retreat, Dragon thought he may not actually have to interfere with this battle. It was the ideal turn of events, where Luffy and Ace scampered away to safety and he remained in the shadows. It looked like even Garp would come out of this alive. Though whether or not Whitebeard would make it through this was up in the air, it didn't look good for him.

Then Admiral Sakazuki had stepped forward. Even more so than the warden of Impel Down, this man was poison. He cut down anyone in his way whether it be friend, foe, or an innocent child. Worst of all were his words, he excelled in spinning his half-truths and lies into provoking his enemy to his will. And now Ace was falling for it even as his comrades begged and pleaded with him to run as Whitebeard had ordered.

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Ace was just like Roger in regards to his friends. It was almost like looking at him again as the boy scowled at the Admiral and walked forward for a fight. But just because he was an excellent fighter didn't mean he was on par with an Admiral of Sakazuki's standing which was made clear when he was quickly defeated.

Dragon's eyes darted to Luffy when he saw the boy fall to his knees, after fighting for so long it was only to be expected. His blood chilled when Sakazuki darted forward to deliver a killing blow to Luffy instead of Ace. The obvious reason to taunt the boy further.

No one saw him as he darted forward to intercept Sakazuki's attack, but he saw everything. He saw the smaller fights stop to watch and he saw Ace leap in front of the attack to protect Luffy. He even saw Sakazuki smirk, uncaring of who he killed first.

Covering his arm in haki, he intercepted the punch with his forearm, a confident smirk on lips. His cloak and clothes burned away from the magma to show his hardened arm completely unscathed. The widened eyes and dawning horror as realization hit the goverment dog were priceless.

"Dr-Dragon!" He leaped back, putting several yards between them.

This time, all motion on the battlefield stopped much like it had when Luffy and the escaped prisoners had fallen from the sky in a stolen worship.

He lowered his arm and stepped to the side to reveal Ace who still had his back to him but had turned his head and Luffy who was peeking around his brother.

"Your fight here is done." He announced. "Leave now."

Ace hesitated before nodding, his eyes wide with surprise. He grabbed Luffy's arm and tugged him along as they made their retreat. Seeing that both boys were now a safe distance away he turned back to the Admiral.

"Who is that?" He heard Luffy ask.

"Are you serious?" Was Ace's reply. "That's your dad!"

"What!"

Their conversation deteriorated into an argument from there. Perhaps leaving him to Garp to raise wasn't his brightest idea.

"Come to save your son have you, Dragon?" The Admiral taunted though the same confidence wasn't there as it was when it was Ace who stood in front of him.

Dragon's smirk never faltered. "My intention was to only observe as this war ushered in the new era." Sakazuki didn't budge, no one did. "Luffy is old enough to fight for himself, though as a father I couldn't stand by and watch him die and certainly not by your hand."

Dragon took his intense gaze off Sakazuki to wonder over the army of marines and pirates. "This war is now over!" He declared ruffling more than a few feathers. "Unless anyone would like to fight me?"

Sengoku held up his hand to quiet the masses. "This war is over." He agreed though his eyes never left Dragon's. "Have the Revolutionary's allied themselves with pirates now?"

Dragon's smirk grew into a smile. "As I said before, my intentions were only to observe. Though, I think we can all agree there's been enough bloodshed today."

Pirates and revolutionaries were not the same and never would be. The mere thought of alling with each other would be a nightmare for the whole world.

A/N

Okay, so I had Dragon steal Shanks thunder. I can just picture Shanks arriving just in time to see Dragon declare the war over and then huddling in a corner to sulk while muttering that that was his line. Anyway please let me know of what you thought and if anyone has any ideas please feel free to share and I'll see what I can do.


	4. Chapter 4

_What if Garp decided to take the boys on a field trip to Marineford?_

Garp couldn't stop smiling as he imagined the faces on those two brats when he told them the news. It had been a stroke of pure genius when he had the bright idea to take his adorable grandson's on a vacation to Marineford. Once they saw the Marines in action they were sure to abandon this ridiculous dream of being pirates.

He was training them to be strong marines, not pirate scum!

Dadan's house was in view now, this late at night those brats where sure to be there instead of running around in the forest. He had just stepped into the clearing when the ground gave out beneath his feet and he found himself in a hole. Garp just knew that this was the doing of one of those brats.

The first thing he saw when he walked in was the entire Dadan Family of bandits sitting down to an actual table and not wrestling each other for pieces of meat as was usual. The reason for this was made clear when he caught sight of the mayor and barmaid from Windmill Village who had both taken a shine to Luffy during his stay there.

The next thing he noticed was a third kid he had never seen before in a top hat, merrily talking about adding a chef to his future pirate crew. Ace and Luffy joined in on the pirate discussion, each claiming that they would become a pirate first.

Dadan and her bandits were the first to see Garp and her bandits were the first to see him still in the shadow of the entrance way, spewing their drinks out in surprise. He cleared his throat, alerting his two bratty grandsons to his presence. Their shoulders slumping was all he needed.

"You two are still going on about that?" He asked in a booming voice."I'm telling you, you're going to be marines! Why is that so hard to understand?"

He delivered his fist of love to the top of each of the boys heads followed quickly by Dadan. He left these boys in her care to scare the criminal out of them and he comes back to find they are practically running things around here.

"That's Garp? Ace and Luffy's grandfather?" The boy in the top hat whispered, fear evident on his face. He had almost forgot about that one.

"Kid. You were talking about going out to see too, right?"

The kid's eyes widened in fear but Luffy ran to stand in front of his little friend. "It's not 'Kid'! His name is Sabo!" He declared. "We all shared toasts of brotherhood and promised to become pirates!"

Brothers was just fine, but his precious grandsons becoming pirate scum? Ha! He'd never let that happen, and this little vacation was just what these boys needed to straighten them out. "Oh? So now there are three little idiots who want me to give them a workout?"

The three screamed and made a break for the door. "You're not getting away that easy!" He called grabbing the back of Luffy's shirt and hoisting him up off the floor. "In the morning I'm taking you three brats to Marine Headquarters in the Grand Line! That ought to set you on the right path!"

A/N

This is actually going to be a two-shot, maybe three. Anyway enjoy and tell me what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

_What if Garp decided to take the boys on a field trip to Marineford? Part 2_

Sabo didn't know what he had been thinking when he agreed to come on this trip to hell. Oh, who was he kidding? There was no option. As soon as that monster Garp had learned that he, Luffy and Ace had become brothers, he had unofficially adopted Sabo and forced the blonde to call him granddad.

It was a nightmare! It was no wonder Luffy didn't have a dad, Garp probably accidentally killed him with too many fists of love to the head. At this rate, none of them would survive long enough to become pirates!

Sabo dodged another flying fist only to smash into Luffy who was making a desperate attempt to escape below the deck of the worship to the mess hall below. Ace smashed to the ground next to them after his sneak attack had failed. What kind of person forced hungry children to fight their way through a marine vice-admiral who could go toe to toe with Gold Roger before they were allowed to have breakfast?

Garp was insane and they were all going to die!

Even his subordinates were begging him to stop his assault on the boys. Garp spared the other marines a glance before straightening up and casting a wide grin down at his 'precious grandsons' as he liked to call them. "That's enough for now!" He finally conceded. "Now go fill your stomachs and become strong marines!"

"No!" Luffy shouted from his position on the deck between Sabo and Ace. "I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

Both ten-year old boys scrambled to clamp their hands over the mouth of their stupid brother. "Wait until after we eat!" Ace hissed.

"Oh?" Garp said with a wicked smile and an evil glint in his eye. "Ready for another workout already?"

"No!" Sabo quickly said waving his hands. "We concede defeat!" He hoped that Garp wouldn't launch into another round of beatings for the boys.

The crazy old man threw his head back and let out a loud laugh as his underlings visibly relaxed. "We'll arrive at Marineford in a couple of hours so eat up!" He declared loudly and strolled through the door that led inside.

Sabo let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and turned to his brothers. Ace's grip on Luffy's mouth was so tight that he was turning blue from a lack of breath. Hopefully once they were on land again, it would be easier to give Garp the slip.

XxX

Senguko glared out his office window as Garp smashed his way through Marineford chasing after those three little brats. There was no doubt that the youngest of the three, Luffy, shared Garp's blood as he and Garp were practically the same person. Though how the child planned on surviving his grandfather when he wouldn't shut up about becoming the next Pirate King was beyond him. Apparently the kid had had a run in with Red Hair Shanks which explained why that straw hat looked so familiar.

The boy with freckles who, despite some physical similarities to Luffy, he was pretty sure was the child of Gol D. Roger. The timing was about right and Portgas D. Rouge had been one of the women who had been investigated though she hadn't given birth until two years after Roger was executed. It was physically impossible for a woman to remain with child for so long. But Sengoku just couldn't shake that feeling, he would talk with Garp about it later.

Then there was the last child who claimed to be the brother of the other two and looked nothing like them. At least the Ace Brat and Luffy Brat could pass for brothers. This one only went by the name Sabo and had more manners than the other two brats and Garp put together. Sengoku could only pray that Garp didn't kidnap the brat in hopes of making him a marine as well.

As it was now, all three of Garp's 'precious little grandsons' were planning to become pirates no matter how much his long time friend tried to beat the idea out of their heads. For children they were strong and could present a threat if their attitudes didn't change. Especially if that Ace Brat was the son of the late Pirate King as he suspected. The Luffy Brat was one to watch out for too, sharing the same blood as Garp and that eternal pest Dragon. Knowing his luck the Sabo Brat was probably the secret grandson of Edward Newgate.

He'd have to keep an eye on those three as the men of Garp's family had an irritating ability to cause problems for him.

Vice Admiral Kuzan walked up to stand next to him. Sengoku glanced at the upholder of Lazy Justice and scowled at the sleeping mask on top of his head. It was bad enough that Garp fell asleep while on duty but now he was setting a bad example for the younger generations.

Turning his attention back to the scene below just in time to witness Garp level the only bakery on the island. The three boys were no where in sight and had hopefully fled before the building collapsed though the baker wasn't nearly as lucky.

"I used to ask why Garp didn't bring his grandsons to live here with the other marine families." Sengoku started. "Now, I think I'll ban it. It's only been a week and half the island has been destroyed from his spur of the moment training sessions."

He could see Kuzan smirk in the reflection of the window. "You should have seen what tha little one did to the bounty board." He said.

He didn't want to know, really, he didn't. But as Fleet Admiral it was his job to know. "What did he do?" The dread evident in his voice. Of all three brats, the little one was the biggest handful.

"Made his own bounty posters and pinned them all over the board." He snorted and handed a sheet of singed paper to him where a badly, hand draw man in a straw hat stood. Underneath the picture it read 'Pirate King Luffy, Wanted for 200 Beli.'

"Why is it partially burnt?" The poster was actually pretty adorable, he'd be sure to hold on to it for Garp later.

"Sakazuki didn't think it was as cute as everyone else and burned the whole board down and the building with it." He nodded to a plume of black smoke that he had previously assumed was more of Garp's handiwork.

Only three more days until those twerps and their grandfather left. unfortunately, Sengoku wasn't sure Marinford would be able to survive this family.

A/N

Okay, maybe this will be in four parts, then on to other what if's.


	6. Chapter 6

_What if Garp decided to take the boys on a field trip to Marineford? Part 3_

Ace scowled out at Garp as the worship he and his brothers were on finally left Marineford. Thankfully Gramps wasn't returning with them to Dawn Island as the man with the big hair and stupid hat had said that he didn't have any more vacation days to use to take them back. Much to their horror at the time, Garp had suggested that the three would just have to stay there until he could take them back. The man with the stupid hat had quickly shot that down saying the three of them were never to step foot on Marineford again.

That was just fine by him and Luffy had actually cheered at the news. Sabo had declared that when they all became pirates, that that would be the one rule that they would uphold. Garp had quickly sent the three of them flying through the outside wall of the fifth story office. It was a wonder they weren't dead yet.

They wouldn't see that monster again for at least another six months. And hopefully that one Admiral with the bad temper who had it out for Luffy would fall off his ship and drown in the ocean. And if he took that other Admiral with the stupid yellow suit then that would be fine too.

Ace sensed a presence behind him and turned to see Bogart, Granpa's faithful lap dog, standing behind him and his brother's. He was the one tasked with escorting them back to Dadan. "A storm is coming, you three will need to relocate inside until it passes." His tone brooked no room for argument. Ace in fact would have argued with him before because there wasn't a cloud in the sky, but he had seen first hand the wacky weather that the Grand Line liked to throw around.

Ace turned around to grab Luffy who was still frantically waving at Garp despite the fact that he had tried to kill him only hours ago. "Come on, Luffy." He said and tugged him toward the door with Sabo following.

Luffy allowed Ace to drag him away while he continued to bid his farewells to all the people whose names he couldn't pronounce or couldn't remember and so made up ridiculous names for them. Garp, Ace and Sabo thought it was funny, everyone else thought it was annoying which made it all the more funny for the boys.

XxX

They had only been at sea for three days on their return journey with it storming all the way. The three boys weren't used to being stuck inside so much and their restlessness was setting the rest of the crew on edge. Ace had made it perfectly clear to the Marines that they could handle being on deck and not get swept out to sea. And when that didn't work they proceeded to wreak havoc, everything from hunting crew members and trapping them to instigating a full-blown food fight in the galley.

On day four, Bogart gave in, though he claimed it was only because the storm was dying down. Ace knew the truth though, he had finally lost his cool demeanor when Luffy had rocketed across the galley that morning and into his Bogart's breakfast.

Ace noticed that the deck was slippery beneath his feet as he and Sabo trekked out into the rain. Luffy, who had no balance to speak of, clung tightly to the back of their shirts for a ride. The wind was also a lot stronger than anything they had experienced on Dawn Island.

Glancing back, Ace saw that Luffy was in danger of being blown away at any moment. He also saw that dog, Bogart watching them from the door that lead to the galley. He was waiting for them to admit defeat. Clearly, he was way in over his head.

Ace and Sabo had just made it over to the center mast with Luffy still clinging to them when a massive wave came at them from the port side. The water that was now on deck wasn't enough to wash them away, but it did make them lose their footing, or in Luffy's case, his grip. To make matters worse, an enormous gust of wind hit from the starboard side while they were scrambling around trying to anchor themselves to the ship. Maybe they should have stayed inside like they were told.

Despite how much food Luffy could consume in a single sitting, he was actually quite light. Sabo had mentioned it to Ace once, that he thought it might be one of the side effects of the devil fruit he ate. He recalled the conversation with clarity as he watched in horror as his younger brother was swept up in the air and out of sight.

Beside him, Sabo screamed Luffy's name, though it was hardly audible over the roar of the storm. Ace bolted up and over to the side of the deck, searching the sky for that little idiot. "LUFFY!" He called at the top of his lungs, praying with all his might that his brother would come back into view.

He felt a firm hand on his shoulder pull him away from the railing and tried to shake it off. "LUFFY!" He called again, desperately.

The hand on his shoulder moved to his collar and lifted him off the deck with ease. He fought against the hand that he now knew to be attached to Bogart with little success. He caught Sabo struggling just as fiercely and calling out the name of their brother.

"LUFFY!" He called one last time before they were carried through the door. Only this time it came out more as a choked sob.

Bogart put them down and Ace looked down at his feet, unwilling to meet anyones gaze. This was all his fault. He was older than Luffy and should have protected him. This happened, all because he wanted to prove that some silly storm meant nothing to him and now Luffy was gone forever.

"I'll put a call into the nearby bases." Bogart said softly. "Though, he was a devil fruit user..." He trailed off when Sabo gave a sob.

Finally forcing himself to look over to his other brother, Ace saw that Sabo was glaring at his feet same as he had been. "I'm sorry Ace." His voice cracked with anguish. "I shouldn't have been so pushy to go outside."

Ace felt the tears welling up in his eyes and willed himself to not let them spill. "No, it's my fault." He said, determined to remain strong. "I knew it was dangerous out there." There was more that he wanted to say, but when Sabo looked up with his watery blue eyes he couldn't find the words.

Their little brother was gone forever and it was their fault.

XxX

Thatch ran across the deck as another gust of wind threatened to capsize the great Moby Dick. He sent a smirk to Izo who was beside him tightening ropes. The poor man spent hours, every morning, on his makeup, and now it was running down his face. Izo snarled something nasty in return.

"Thatch!" He heard Marco yell over the roar of the sea.

He looked behind him to see that one of the ropes holding the sail in had come loose. He gave a thumbs up to the First Division Commander that he understood and ran to correct the problem, the last thing they needed was a torn sail. He handed off the rope he was working on to Izo before running over to the center mast.

He had the rope tied back properly in no time and took a minute to see his brothers below him scurry around the deck. This storm had lasted three days so far with no sign of stopping. Thatch looked out around the ship at the crashing waves and the dark sky and wondered if it would stop before they reached the next island. It wouldn't be much fun if it rained the whole time.

Thatch was just thinking about all the pretty ladies that would be at the next island when something hard slammed into the back of his head. Stars danced before his eyes for a moment before he realized that whatever had hit was now choking him. Without thinking he started clawing at the thing wrapped around his neck and accidentally fell off the sail and down to the deck below.

as soon as he hit the deck, the thing let go and rolled around. At first it looked like his attacker might have been a ratty old straw hat with a red ribbon. But then he noticed the tiny hands clutching at the brim, moving closer told him that the thing that had slammed into him was a little boy.

A/N

Sorry it took so long to update. I would like to ask that fans of my other stories please not spam this story or others in an attempt to get me to update the one you want. As always, please leave a review and if you have any ideas on a what if I'd love to hear them.


	7. Chapter 7

_What if Garp decided to take the boys on a field trip to Marineford? Part 4_

Marco stared down at the little boy who had literally fallen from the sky. Everything about this kid was strange from his too big straw hat, to his easy-going attitude about being on a ship full of dangerous pirates. And not just ay pirates either, the Whitebeard pirates lead by the infamous Whitebeard himself, one of the Four Emperor's of the New World. Normal kids would have wet their pants and started crying, this kid looked like he had won the jackpot.

He glanced up to see that his other brother's wore the same facial expression that was probably on his face. What were they even supposed to do with him and where the hell had he come from? He was kind of small so it was reasonable to assume he had been swept up by the strong winds, but had he been on an island or a ship? Hell, he could have even been on one of the sky islands for all they knew.

"I guess we should take him to see Pops." Thatch said as the boy continued to babble about how a Sabo and an Ace were going to be so jealous of him.

"Yeah," Marco said nodding. "He'll know what to do." He squatted down in front of the kid whose smile was nearly too big for his face. "Come on kid."

The boy jumped up enthusiastically, his eyes shinning bright with excitement. "Are we going to see the Captain now?" He was practically vibrating with energy. You'd think getting tossed around in a storm like this would tire the kid out some.

"Yea, Captain Whitebeard." He stood back up and started walking, thankful that the kid didn't need his hand-held.

"Captian Whitebeard." He repeated looking serious, which was amusing given the situation.

Marco lead the kid down the hall until he reached Pop's quarters. The door was open so he walked in with the kid right behind him. Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku would have hesitated, this kid had no fear which meant he was probably stupid.

Pops took one look at the kid before tipping his head back and laughing. "I didn't know you had a brat, Marco." The three nurses in the room all giggled as his face heated up.

"It's not my kid!" He defended just a little too loudly which caused Pops to start laughing again.

He turned to look at the kid to see how he was faring on being in the presence of such a legendary man. He expected the kid to be cowering, instead he was glaring. "He's not Whitebeard!" He shouted and turned his angry glare to Marco. "He doesn't even have a beard!"

This caused another round of laughter and this time Marco joined in. It was a running joke amongst the crew that despite the name, the only facial hair Edward Newgate had was on his upper lip, though they all agreed it was an impressive moustache.

"Even Grandad has a beard and he's not even a pirate." The boy muttered petulantly and crossed his arms.

As the laughter died down Marco turned his attention to the reason they were there. "He fell out of the sky, we think he got swept up by the storm."

Pops turned his impressive gaze down to the little boy with the too big hat. A lesser man would have crumpled under his gaze. The kid just grinned, apparently over the fact that Pops didn't have a beard. "You got a name, kid?" He asked and took a large gulp of what was probably sake.

"My name is Luffy and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" He said with a smile that took over his entire face.

"That so?" Pops said with a smirk.

"That means we'll be rivals!" The boy, Luffy, declared. He then donned a sheepish look. "But not until I'm seventeen."

Pop's burst into another round of laughter this time accompanied by Luffy. "I suppose I'll have to wait until then." He said and Luffy just giggled. "Where are you from, brat?"

"East Blue!" He declared.

East Blue? "How did you get all the way out here?" Marco asked, surely he hadn't been blown the whole way.

"On a ship!" He said brightly.

Marco stared at the boy a moment longer, was this kid seriously this stupid? "What kind of ship?"

The boy looked up at him in thought. "A worship."

"A warship?" He corrected and the boy nodded. "A Marine Warship?" He clarified and the boy nodded again.

"And what was a brat like you doing on a warship?" Pops asked, throughly amused at the situation.

"Grandad said I have to become a strong Marine but I already told him that I'm gonna be a pirate so he took me, Ace and Sabo to that place with all the Marines." He explained.

"Marineford?"

Luffy brightened. "Yeah! And then the man with the goat said we weren't allowed to come back and that Gradad had to stay and work. So that other man was taking us back to Dawn Island. I can't remember his name but Ace said he was a dog even if he didn't look like one."

Oh great, some high-ranking Marine's grandchild was on board their ship. Depending on the rank would depend on what the Marines course of action would be once they found out just where the brat had landed. A glance to his Captian told him that Pops wasn't as concerned about this as he should be.

"Tell me, what is the name of the Marine unfortunate enough to have the next Pirate King for a grandson?" Pops asked looking far too pleased with the situation.

Luffy smiled that huge smile of his. "Grandad!" And then his stomach growled. Marco almost mistook it for a clap of thunder if the little boy hadn't clutched his stomach and groaned.

"Why don't you take our guest to the galley and get him some food." Pops said. "Maybe after that you can help him remember who is grandfather is."

Watch his 'Grandad' be an admiral. Worst case scenario was that Luffy was the grandson of Kong. A shudder passed through him at the unholy fire storm that would descend upon them if this brat was related to that monster.

"Come on, kid." He said and ushered the brat out.

"See ya later, Old Man!" Luffy called over his shoulder.

XxX

Thatch was dumbfounded, a state he hadn't been in for quite a few years which was quite a feat when one sailed the Grand Line as he and the rest of the crew did. In all his years he had never seen anyone, let alone a kid, eat like that. Hell, a betting pool had even started at one point.

Marco had pawned the kid, he now knew to be Luffy, off on him as soon as they walked out of Pops room. He had been muttering something about the Marines but Thatch hadn't managed to catch exactly what he was talking about. He did manage to hear that he was supposed to take the kid to the galley for some grub and thus they made their way there.

When he had taken custody of the kid, he had never imagined that he was about to witness this tiny kid consume plate after plate of food. But was that all? No! No it was not all! This kid had somehow got a hold of a devil fruit, a Gum Gum Fruit if Thatch had interpreted correctly.

He had first seen this weird ability in action after Luffy had finished his first plate of food. The kid hadn't even looked up as he reached down the table, a good five feet, and snatched Jozu's plate away before the man knew what happened. Thatch had been so surprised that he hadn't even called him on it until after he stole his third plate.

Thatch watched in morbid fascination as the kid shoveled down his thirty-second plate of food. Luffy's stomach continued to expand until he was triple the size he had been when they entered the galley. Should he stop him? Surely kids weren't supposed to eat this much, hell, he couldn't eat this much if he had been starved for a month.

"If he eats anymore, it'll start cutting into our stores and there's no telling how long he'd going to be with us." Izo muttered into his ear.

He nodded absently as the kid shoved a huge drumstick in his mouth and swallowed, bone and all. "That's enough kid." He said as the kid reached for another plate that had been placed at the end of the table.

Luffy looked up, his cheeks stuffed full, making him look like a chipmunk. "Huh?"

Thatch smiled at the kid. "You're about to eat us out of house and home." He said and Luffy's eyes widened in surprise. "How do your parents keep you fed?"

The boy swallowed the mouthful, his through expanding to accommodate it. "I don't have parents." He said though it didn't seem to cause him any pain. Perhaps they had died too far back for him to remember.

"Who takes care of you then?"

"I do!" He said brightly and eyed the plate of food at the end. "Me, Ace and Sabo go hunting! I like crocodile the best!"

What the hell?

Thatch nodded. This kid was from the Grand Line, he was sure of it. "So, which island are you from? Maybe, if we are close enough, we can give you a lift back."

"Dawn Island!" He was still eyeing that plate of food. Thatch looked around until he made eye contact with one of the men in his division and discreetly ordered him to get rid of the plate of temptation.

"Hey, that's in East Blue!" Someone behind him shouted. Apparently the crowd from earlier had disappeared yet. It wasn't everyday that they had a kid on board the Mob Dick after all.

"You blew all the way to the Grand Line from the East Blue?" He asked slightly alarmed. Surely that couldn't have happened.

"His grandfather's a Marine." The voice of Marco said. Thatch turned around to see the First Division Commander slash First Mate. "Any luck remembering what his name is?"

Thatch turned to look back to Luffy. "Well Dadan call's him Garp."

It was unfortunate that Thatch had chosen that moment to take a sip of his ale. The second he heard the boy utter the name of that terror he had choked and ended up spraying the table with his drink. He continued to choke until Marco gave him a solid thump on the back.

"Monkey D. Garp?!" He had to confirm it. "Garp the Fist?!"

"Yeah!" He said and then rubbed his head. "His Fist of Love really hurts even though I'm rubber."

What the hell was a Fist of Love?

"Rubber?" He had forgotten to tell Marco about the kid being a Devil Fruit User.

"I ate the Gum Gum Fruit!" He declared proudly, his little eyes zeroing in on a man from the Third Division as he walked by with a heaping plate of food. "It tasted awful."

"And where did a kid like you get a hold of a Devil Fruit in the East Blue?" Thatch asked. Most people, when they ate a Devil Fruit, found the accursed fruit in the Grand Line.

The boy looked sheepish for a moment and even blushed. "It was an accident, I thought it was desert." And then he giggled, adjusting the straw hat that was too big for him. "You should have seen Shanks face after I ate it."

Thatch turned back to face Marco. "We gotta get rid of this kid." He glanced back to the straw hat, he knew that damn thing looked familiar.

A/N

There should be only one more part after this one followed by more random one-shots! Enjoy and please review.


	8. Chapter 8

_What if Garp decided to take the boys on a field trip to Marineford? Part 5_

Marco watched as the Moby Dick sailed off beyond the horizon wondering where his life had gone wrong. He had been happy aboard the Moby Dick as a division commander and first mate. It had been a good life filled with women, money and booze. A life any man would have wanted.

And then that little demon had fallen from the sky.

Maybe calling Luffy a demon was taking it too far. The kid was anything but evil, in fact, there probably wasn't a malicious bone in the kid. He seemed to be made of nothing more than laughter, rubber and impossible amounts of consumed meat. His only fault was that he attracted trouble like a magnet. It had only been three days since the little ball of energy had bounced into their lives and already Marco was contemplating turning himself into the Marines as long as they kept Luffy away from him.

In the short time he had been there, he managed to incite a riot in the bunks, which ended after one overzealous crew mate threw a pillow hard enough to send Marco through a wall. He had also somehow managed to get swallowed by a Sea King, resulting in a desperate rescue attempt and later a party where they all feasted on the meat of the unfortunate Sea King. There was also the men's bath, where he had somehow managed to get every last surface covered in soap.

Marco closed his eyes as scenes from that particular memory flashed through his mind. It was a wonder no one had broken anything with they way they had all been slipping and sliding. Marco had been dodging flying bodies trying to get a hold of that little hellion so he could properly drown him. What was worse, was that the few men who had managed to avoid the havoc (Thatch), were too busy laughing to help anyone else out.

Shortly after, Pops had declared that he and Thatch would secure a vessel of some type and take the boy back to his island in the East Blue. It was for the best, he knew it was. But he really wished that Pops had chosen some one else besides him.

"Wow!" He heard Luffy exclaim behind him and cringed, hoping for all he was worth that it didn't signal the beginning of some new and exciting disaster.

Upon finally turning around it was to see Luffy staring up at him with those large, dark eyes of his wide in wonder. He glanced to Thatch who was smiling down at the little boy. Marco wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing, it was difficult to tell with those two.

"What?"

"You ate a Devil Fruit too?" He asked.

Ah, that.

"Yeah, I ate one of the Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits." He said, looking up as Thatch wandered down the dock to find a boat.

The boy's amazement turned into a confused frown. "What's that mean?"

"It means I can turn into a Phoenix." He said with a smirk. "Maybe when we get out to sea I'll show you."

Luffy threw his hands up in the air. "Awesome! Wait until Sabo and Ace hear about this."

During his short stay with the Whitebeard Pirates, he had often mentioned how jealous those two boys would be but hadn't elaborated on their relationship. "Friends of yours?" He asked. Glancing down the dock he saw that Thatch was haggling over the price of a small sailboat with a scrawny looking old man.

"No, their my brothers!"

Marco faltered and glanced down to the boy beside him. There were more of these little monsters running around? What would happen to the world when those three were old enough to set out? Probably end.

Two hours later and they were finally setting sail toward the East Blue. Normally, when one wanted to get to one of the Four Blues from the Grand Line, they would go through Reverse Mountain so as to avoid the Calm Belt and the massive Sea Kings that dwelled there. Marco and Thatch had agreed to chance the Calm Belt as they were both strong enough to take on the Sea Kings and row across it. They also didn't have to worry about Luffy freaking out if a Sea King decided to attack as the meat of the monster's was now his favorite kind.

Marco looked out over the sea as he mentally calculated about how long it would take them to reach Dawn Island. He wasn't even sure where the island was, they would have to buy a map once they reached the East Blue. From where they were now, it should only take them about two days to reach the Calm Belt if the weather cooperated. After that it was another two, maybe three, days to cross the Belt and then maybe another two or three days to reach Dawn Island.

The whole trip should take about two weeks to drop him off and then head to Fishman Island where they would meet up with Pops and the rest of the crew. Marco smiled as he thought of all the pretty mermaids that would be waiting for him on the island.

"Hey." He felt a tug on his sleeve and he looked down to see a little monster in a straw hat. "Can you turn into a peacock now?" His little innocent face completely serious. He sent a glare to Thatch who had given a snort of laughter only to quickly busy himself when their eyes met.

"I can turn into a phoenix." He clarified.

Luffys brows came together in confusion. "What's that?"

Marco sat down and leaned against the side of the boat, resting his arms on his knees. "A phoenix is a mythical fire bird." He explained.

Luffy gave a determined nod and crossed his arms over his chest. "Mystery bird."

This time Thatch burst out into full-blown laughter and Marco joined him. This kid never failed to bring a smile.

A/N

Okay guys, one last part to this What If. If you have any ideas you liked to see please feel free to tell me about them in a PM or a review.


	9. Chapter 9

_What if Garp decided to take the boys on a field trip to Marineford? Part 6_

It took six days to reach the quaint little town of Windmill Village which was part of the Goa Kingdom. It looked to be a peaceful town as the East Blue was one of the most peaceful of all the Four Blues. It was hard to imagine Luffy living in a place like this with all the buildings intact. He had at least expected to see some serious dents in the landscape, if not from Luffy or his brothers than at least from Garp.

"So where do you live, Luffy?" Thatch asked as he moved the sails to the right angle to catch the wind and sail them into port.

Luffy pointed up to a mountain that was covered in a thick jungle, a good distance away from the village. "I used to live with Makino over the bar, but after Shanks left Grandad made me live with Dadan and her mountain bandits."

Thatch turned to look at Marco who was smiling at the kid and mouthed 'mountain bandits?' Marco just smirked in return. Over the last week they had both grown accustomed to the contained chaos that was Monkey D. Luffy, Future Pirate King. Once you got used to him he wasn't that much of a handful.

They finally pulled up to the dock and Marco jumped out of the boat to tie it down while Thatch rolled up the sails. It wouldn't do to have their little sailboat drift away while they were in town restocking on supplies and finding someone to take custody of Luffy. Despite what he said, they couldn't just leave him on his own.

Luffy scrambled out of the boat as soon as the dock was close enough and hopped around Marco excitedly while they waited for Thatch to join them on dry land. Thatch decided to be deliberately slow as he secured their boat and put things away and out of sight of those who might have sticky fingers.

"You guys gotta meet Makino!" Luffy was saying and tugged on the blue sash tied around Marco's waist. Despite what he and Marco said, they really were going to miss that little rubber ball of energy. Hopefully they'd see him again, after he turned seventeen of course.

"Hurry up, Thatch!" Luffy called, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his already loud voice. "It's almost lunch time!"

He let out a hearty chuckle at the boy's antics. Far be it for him to keep this kid from a meal. There was no proof, but some of the crew members had been of the firm belief that if Luffy didn't have access to food at meal times that he would turn cannibal. No one had been quite willing to test that theory given the boy's unpredictable nature.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." He said with a smile and joined both Devil Fruit users on the dock.

Luffy lead them through the quite little town waving at the various villagers who all looked confused and weary. Whether it be because he and Marco were pirates or Luffy himself, they didn't know.

Luffy eventually lead them to a little pub with the sign Party's Bar over the door. "Makino!" Luffy yelled at the top of his lungs before running off a head of them and into the pub.

The bar was fairly empty with only a handful of men scattered throughout the room. It was easy to spot Luffy who had seated himself at the bar with a smile big enough to overtake his face.

"Luffy!" A woman behind the bar exclaimed. She was a pretty little thing with her dark green hair tied up with a cloth and an apron. "I didn't think you'd be back for another week. Where are Ace and Sabo?"

"I got blown off the worship in the middle of a storm and landed on a pirate ship!" He shouted happily.

"Warship." She corrected automatically and then looked up to Thatch and Marco. "Welcome to Party's Bar, can I get you two some lunch?" She asked.

"Yes please." Thatch answered, walking forward through the bar and taking a seat next to Luffy.

The woman, Makino, paused when the two grown men sat down next to the little boy. A question in her eyes. "Are you friend's of Luffy's?" She asked.

"Would you belive he fell out of the sky onto our ship?" Thatch asked throwing in some charm. Maybe he could convince Marco to stay a little longer.

Her dark eyes widened in surprise as they slid from him, to Marco and then finally to Luffy. "You- you were really swept up by a storm?" Luffy nodded happily and demanded meat. "And you are pirates?" Her gaze, while still friendly, had turned curious.

"That's right." Thatch smiled causing her to blush before she disappeared into what was probably the kitchen.

He turned back to Luffy who was gulping down a glass of juice and nudged him with his elbow. "Hey, kid, is she married?"

"Married?" He asked. "Can you eat it?"

This kid had a one track mind. "No." Luffy frowned, seemingly uninterested in the topic now. "A husband, a man?"

"Oh." He said, finally getting what Thatch was asking. "Benn said Shanks is her man." He then paused and looking sheepish said, "But it's supposed to be a secret so don't tell anyone." Marco snorted.

Oh well.

Makino came back a moment later with three plates full of food on a tray. She set the plates in front of them and quickly filled up two pints for him and Marco each. The food was good, no wonder Shanks liked her so much.

"And then this big Sea King came and ate him and then he was going to eat me too but then Shanks came and saved me but it got his arm." Luffy regaled them the story of how he ate his Devil Fruit, waving his arms around excitedly. "He said it was alright though and gave me his hat." He fondly hugged the straw hat to the top of his head at the memory.

"That's quite a story." Marco said before finishing off his ale.

"Shanks is the best pirate in the whole world!" He exclaimed proudly.

"Oi!" Thatch started playfully. "Everyone knows Whitebeard is the greatest pirate."

Luffy stood up on his bar stool to properly glare at Thatch. "Shanks could kick his no-beard ass and still have time to kick yours too!" Both he and Marco broke out into laughter, it was so easy to rile Luffy up where Shanks was concerned.

"Alright, I'll agree that Shanks can kick Thatch's butt, up and down the Grand Line." Marco started, earning a scoff from his crew mate. "But Pops was one of the two men, besides your grandfather, who could go toe to toe with Roger. Shanks wouldn't stand a chance."

"Wow, Grandad use to fight Gold Roger?" The argument completely forgotten as his eyes shined brightly wonder.

"That's right, kid, and he and Pops still go at it from time to time." Thatch said with a satisfying smirk as Luffy's eyes grew even wider.

"You'll have to be sure to ask Garp about his adventures the next time he comes to visit." Makino said as she dried several glasses. She had patiently listened and indulged them for the last several hours. It was rare to find a bar outside of the Grand Line that was so tolerant of pirates, especially Whitbeard Pirates.

"Thank you so much Ms. Makino for a lovely meal and your wonderful company." Thatch smiled charmingly, earning a small giggle and blush from the pretty barmaid. "But I'm afraid we must be leaving now if we want to meet up with Pops at the end of the week."

Luffy tugged on the sleeve of his jacket. "You aren't gonna stay until Ace and Sabo get back?" He asked with those big innocent eyes of his. No wonder the Red-Hairs had ended up staying six months here.

"Sorry, Luffy." Marco said as he stood up from the bar. "But we promised Pops we'd meet up with him at Fishman Island and if we want to make it there in time we need to leave today."

"Fishman Island?" Makino asked curiously.

Thatch followed Marco and stood up. "It's ten thousand miles below the surface of the sea, where the fishmen and mermaids live." Makino looked like she wasn't sure she should belive him or not.

"What's a mermaid?" Luffy asked, "Can you eat it?"

Marco had walked over and put his hand on Luffy's shoulder. "I wouldn't try it, they're half beautiful woman and half fish and they'll fight back if you try to cook them." He warned playfully.

"Maybe one day we'll see you there." Thatch added. "They make the best salt-water candies."

"Awesome!" He shouted and thrust his fist into the air. "I'll definitely see you there and then I'll kick no-beard's butt!"

"Yeah, sure, kid." He said before turning to leave and waving a bye to both the natives of the island. Once outside and out of earshot, he turned to Marco. "I'm gonna miss that kid."

Marco just smirked and patted his shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Are you sure we can't take him with us?" He asked even though he already knew the answer. "Pops likes him and he wants to be a pirate anyway. I don't think Garp would miss him too much."

"We'll see him again one day." Marco reassured him.

XxX

Ace had been Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates for all of six months when he opened the paper one morning to see Luffy's face smiling up at him. It was a bit of a surprise and took him a moment to realize that it was a wanted poster. Thirty thousand wasn't a bad starting bounty.

"Anything interesting?" Marco asked as he sat down next to Thatch across the table from Ace.

He slid the wanted poster across the table to his two friends. "My little brother finally became a pirate!" He said with a fond smile. "His first bounty and everything."

Thatch was the first to react by snatching up the poster. "Luffy's your brother?!"

Marco leaned over to get a look at the poster, his always half-lidded eyes opening a bit wider in surprise. "Huh, look at that."

"Wait, you two know Luffy?" As far as he knew, Luffy had never spent time with any pirates other than Shanks and his crew. Well, there was that one ridiculous story he used to tell about falling out of the sky onto a pirate ship.

It had been around the time that Garp had taken them to Marineford and on their way back home a huge storm had managed to blow Luffy out to sea. He and Sabo had been distraught for two weeks, thinking that Luffy had died. They had been all set to tell Makino when they walked in her bar only to see Luffy's smiling face.

He had spouted some nonsense about landing on a pirate ship, pillow fights and a food fight. He then went on to tell them that a mystery bird and another man had given him a lift back home. Of course neither he or Sabo believed him and figured he'd probably found a piece of drift wood to cling to until some sailors had come across him.

"Yeah, that little bastard fell from the sky during a storm and almost knocked me out!" Thatch said happily.

Ace's mouth actually fell open. "What, that actually happened?!" He shouted, earning several curious looks from the other crew members. "We just thought he was lying."

"Yeah, that kid was a handful." Marco said.

Ace turned to Marco as though it was the first time he was really seeing him. "You're the mystery bird!" Marco just closed his eyes and ground his teeth together.

Thatch started laughing so hard that he actually fell back and off the bench he was seated on. "At least its better than peacock!" He finally said after he'd calmed himself and sat back down only to be shoved off once more by an annoyed Marco.

A/N

Alright, that's the last of this story. On to more one-shots!


	10. Chapter 10

_What if Sabo had survived?_

Jaya was a lovely little island about half-way through Paradise. And Mock Town was even better, it had everything a pirate could ever need to continue along his adventure on the Grand Line. It wasn't very often the Spade Pirates came across a town that was so welcoming to them.

As Captain, the first thing Ace did was divide up the goods and ordered his crew to get the supplies they would need before setting sail in the morning. His next order was for them to all meet him at the bar across from the gambling hall where he would find something to eat, much to his cook's relief. The man was always complaining about not being able to keep up with Ace's appetite, you'd think he'd get used to it after the year they had been sailing together.

Ace walked through the swinging doors and made a bee line for the bar with every intention on eating every last morsel of food in the building. There were three free seats side by side at the bar and Ace choose to sit himself right in the middle. "Three plates of the special and keep it coming!" He ordered happily.

The man behind the bar looked taken a back for a moment before jumping into action and ordering a waitress to get on his order while he filled up a pint for him. He took a gulp before turning in his chair to get a look around. The room was full of pirates, drinking, gambling and laughing.

"So you're Fire Fist, huh?" A voice to his left calling his attention.

Ace turned his head to the man one seat away from him. He was hunched over the bar nursing his own drink. Ace couldn't see his face as it was obscured by a black top hat which cased him to frown. Sabo had had a hat like that, he even had the same goggles around it like this man did. In fact, the more Ace took in the man's appearance, the more he was reminded of his long dead brother. This man even wore a blue tail coat with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows as Sabo had.

Then the man lifted his head up to reveal the smiling face of a blonde man with short curly hair and a chipped tooth. Ace choked, he knew that face anywhere even if it had aged eight years. "Sabo!"

The man's smirk grew until it stretched half way across his face. "I almost thought you didn't recognize me."

The man, whether he was Sabo or not, never saw the fist hurtling at his face. The bar went silent as the man in the top hat went hurtling through a wall and into a back ally with Ace running after him.

"What the hell, Ace!" Sabo yelled, standing up and rubbing his cheek.

"Sabo died eight years ago, who the hell are you?!" He demanded so harshly that several bums that had been in the ally previously decided that that was their cue to high tail it outta there.

The Sabo imposter's, maybe, face went blank in surprise. "Huh?" He said and Ace was tempted to light his ass on fire. "I'm not dead."

"Dogra saw that Celestial Dragon blow up my brother, he's dead!" The anger and misery from that experience came rushing back fueling his hate toward whoever the hell this was.

His eyes grew wide in realization. "Dogra was there?" The impersonator who probably wasn't rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't know, if I had I would have sent another letter to tell you that I survived."

No one knew about that letter besides him, Dadan, Dogra and Luffy. Could he really be Sabo? "How do I know you're really him?" He asked, his voice laced with hostility and suspicion.

The man smirked before shrugging his coat of his shoulder to reveal a tattoo on his bare shoulder. It was the same symbol they had drawn on their pirate flag as children. But that wasn't the only thing. Under the waistcoat, he was bare-chested and Ace could now clearly see what looked to be old burn scars.

All aggression lost, Ace moved forward to inspect him more. "How did you survive?"

Sabo put his coat back on and dusted himself off from the dirt and debris he had accumulated after Ace punched him. "I wouldn't have, if it hadn't been for Dragon."

"Dragon? Wait, the Revolutionary Dragon?" What the hell had he been doing there?

"Yeah, pulled me from the wreckage of my stolen boat before too much damage could be done." Sabo smiled. "I owe him my life and even though I'm a pirate now I still help him out when he calls."

"What was Luffy's dad even doing at Grey Terminal that day?" Ace asked as the two left the ally and walked out into the street. It was probably best if they didn't venture back into the bar, less they have to pay for damages.

"Luffy's dad?" Sabo asked, a frown marring his face. "Dragon?"

"You didn't know? Gramps let it slip once before I left Dawn Island." Surely he and Dragon talked occasionally, the topic of Luffy must have come up at some point.

Sabo had paused in his walking. "Of course Garp spawned that monster who in turn spawned Luffy. Does Luffy know?"

Ace shrugged his shoulders. "As far as I can tell, he thinks he just popped up out of the ground one day." They both shared a laugh at their bumbling kid brother. "I've gotta send a letter to Luffy, let him know you're alive!"

"Don't bother," Sabo said waving the thought off. "He'll make it to the Grand Line in another two years, I'll see him then!" He turned them toward the docks. "I bet he won't hit his long-lost brother."

Ace snorted, if any of them was bound to over react to something it was Luffy. "Yeah we'll see, just be warned that his aim has gotten better."

For the first time in a long time, Ace was truly happy. The day that Luffy joined them on the Grand LIne wasn't far off. Once that day came, they'd all be together again.

A/N

I need idea's, I'm running out of steam and I don't want to abandon this. Idea's for one-shots is what I need, not full-blown stories.


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